


Truce

by UninspiredPoet



Series: Truce [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Denial of Feelings, Difficult Decisions, Emotions, F/F, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Secret Relationship, Smut, Useless Lesbians, can't stop won't stop, this turned into a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-11-12 06:15:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18005414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UninspiredPoet/pseuds/UninspiredPoet
Summary: Valeera gets sent on a mission to deliver a message to the Horde Arathi Commander. The Commander just so happens to be Lady Liadrin. But what happens when Shaw tells Anduin what he's seen? What happens when Valeera has no place left to go, and how will they survive the consequences intact?





	1. Truce

Liadrin hadn't heard the approach but she certainly heard the “thump” of the log on the ground behind her and definitely felt it hit her heel. She sighed and turned - looking the offending soldier over with a hand on the pommel of her sword. A rogue. Of course, it was a rogue. It was always a rogue.

“Over there, soldier.” She pointed towards an already staggering stack of lumber behind her before her hand fell back to her side and her thoughts drifted for just a moment to another rogue she knew on a much more personal level. And then she remembered she had a war to win that had nothing, really, to do with stacks of logs or with rogues for that matter. But she did bend down to pick the log up. And she did place it back atop the struggling woman’s stack as she walked past. Small kindnesses could make all the difference. Even in the midst of a battle. It was a lesson she had learned over the years and it was one she wouldn't soon forget. 

The next time she felt someone behind her she very nearly lost it. “I swear on the sun if someone brings me another piece of w-” She trailed off, the agitated look on her face fading faintly as her brow furrowed at the sight of one of her agents shrinking slightly away from her. 

“My apologies. What is it that you need?” 

“Commander, I...as you are well aware, we have the Alliance on their knees. For two days, now, they’ve been barely scraping by. But it has been costly and will continue to be. You are just as aware of that. I know. There is...a messenger. One that wishes to speak to you on neutral ground.”

“Neutral ground, agent? Is there any such thing, do you think?” She spoke even as she guided their conversation towards a more isolated spot between two newly repaired buildings. 

“Dabyrie’s farmstead, Commander. It’s been cleared out for days. It’s just short of being a ghost town. There aren’t even any chickens left.”

“It checks out.” 

Liadrin actually jumped at that one, gripping the pommel of her sword as she turned to look at the grating voice that had just nearly cost her her immortal soul. “Ah...Lilian. Nice of you to announce yourself. And what do you mean it checks out?”

“What I said. It checks out. No traps or anything. It’s a genuine outreach. The only person at the farmstead right now is a single agent. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And who is this agent?” Liadrin asked wearily, leaning back against the outer wall of the nearest structure. 

“Whoever it is - I can’t get my eye on them. They’re good, that much I know for certain. But they _are_ alone. That much I also know for certain.”

Liadrin sighed quietly and lifted a gauntlet-clad hand to her forehead, rubbing her temples for a moment and then pushing herself away from the wall. She was already making her way towards Ar’gorok when she spoke again. “Would an escort be met with hostility or acceptance? Just to the Stead, of course.” 

“Acceptance, I would wager. They need this to succeed more than we do, Commander.” 

She looked around herself with a frown when she noticed Lilian was gone, again, and only her own agent remained. 

“Do you ever get tired of rogues, Darlia?” She asked dryly. 

“I am one, Commander.” She responded with a raise of her brow. 

“I know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Valeera, _please_. I know. I know you don’t want to be involved and I...trust me, I know. But I highly doubt anyone else would be better suited.”

Valeera narrowed her eyes at Anduin as she lounged in the chair - his chair, to be exact - that she had made herself at home in. 

“Just because I like you doesn’t mean I will jump into a warzone at your bidding, Anduin.” 

“I understand that, believe me. But Shaw has already cleared out the meeting place and has assured me it’s safe. I would never put you in harm’s way without telling you. And you know how they are. They’re not going to murder an uninterested party who only came to bear a message.” 

Valeera simply lifted a brow at him and pursed her lips which resulted in Anduin looking like he was seriously considering tearing out his own hair. 

“Valeera you know damn well what I mean. I don’t know who’s commanding right now but you and I both know it isn’t the Warchief. They _will_ respond. They have to.” 

Valeera sighed quietly and stood, looking down at the map he’d laid in front of her that she’d been ignoring until now. “Here, then?” She asked as she gestured to the farmstead he’d assumed she hadn’t been paying attention to when he’d spoken about it earlier.  
“Yes. Yes and Shaw and some operatives will wait until you arrive to ensure your safety.”

Valeera smirked at that. “I don’t need anyone to ensure my safety. But if you mean to allow me to relax on my vacation then I accept. But this is your last favor for a while, Little Lion.” 

He relaxed visibly and slid down into the chair she’d just been occupying as she headed towards the door. 

“Perhaps while I’m arranging your little ceasefire you should let loose a bit. Find yourself a nice young man to spend an evening or two with. You seem stressed.” 

She shut the door before he could protest. She didn’t want to hear it. She was tired of his moods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As if the thudding of hooves outside hadn’t been enough to give their approach away - the sound of plate knocking against itself as riders dismounted only made their arrival all the more obvious. And that was fine. The ceasefire was effective as of that very morning and Liadrin couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard such quiet. It seemed both sides were more than thankful for the reprieve. And the farm was as empty as she’d been told it would be.

They’d done a sweep of it earlier just to be certain, of course. The next sound was the sound of her voice. Booming across the empty stead in a way that couldn’t have been argued with even if any of her escort had wanted to. 

“Post up at the perimeter. If this goes awry and I signal as I said I would - call an end to the ceasefire and reduce them to _nothing_. Otherwise - return to the hold and await further instruction. If I require anything more you will know.” 

The sound of the escort saluting in unison was intimidating in and of itself. Or at least it would have been to anyone but Valeera. As it was, she was still sitting at the table she’d placed herself at staring at the door. Liadrin. Of course, it was Liadrin. Liadrin - who had never even come up in her and Anduin’s conversation. 

So the boy had sent her why? Because he assumed she would be the best hope they had of relating to them? Valeera - who was staunchly unaligned and balked at the very thought of declaring a real allegiance. 

Oh, he was going to get an earful when next she saw him. He didn’t need to know it was a pleasant surprise. A gift, really. 

But all her thoughts of once again having the upper hand in their exchange were driven rather violently from her mind as the door swung open and Liadrin stepped into the little farmhouse looking unusually...larger than life. 

Her armor shone and the red enchantments within her pauldrons were almost blinding in the dusty, abandoned space. And the gold of her eyes was piercing as she peered around the sparsely furnished room before her attention settled solely on Valeera. The moment they did she shut the door firmly behind herself and dropped her shield with a thud so heavy Valeera had _felt_ it before she let it lean against the door. 

“A messenger, indeed.” She muttered as she adjusted her sword belt against her hips and crossed her wrists over the pommel - not moving from her chosen position near the door, blocked as it was by the weight of her shield. “Your king takes me for a fool.” 

Valeera lifted her brows and looked down at the wax-sealed parchment resting on the table between her hands before pushing it in the older woman’s direction. 

Liadrin merely eyed it wearily for a moment before making her way towards the table and leaning over to pull it towards herself. She broke the seal with the tip of her gauntleted finger and scanned over the words quickly without ever taking at least part of her attention off the woman still seated before her. 

“My apologies. Forgive me for assuming you were here to play a game. You are rather fond of them, after all.” 

“Liadrin…” 

The paladin couldn’t tell if the slightly wounded tone to her voice was genuine or not and right then she didn’t much care. Though she was sure she would run the exchange through her head a hundred times over when she was alone again. She always did. 

“Explain.” Her response was short and almost cold as she tossed the parchment back onto the table and leveled a gaze at her. 

Valeera cleared her throat and grasped the parchment to read over it, herself - using the moment to attempt to find her bearings. This was odd. She didn’t like it. Or at least that’s what she told herself. She hated being caught off-guard. And it had never happened before with Liadrin. She was uncomfortable. She was too hot, her mouth was dry - a million little thoughts flitted through her mind as she tried to focus on the words she was staring at. 

“What is it that you’re asking me for, then? Insight?” She finally responded as she lowered the thick, expensive paper so she could look at Liadrin again - masking any vulnerability she might have been feeling in that moment because it was what she was used to. It was what kept her safe...removed. 

“Insight would be a good start. I find it odd that we haven’t seen each other in over two months and suddenly the ‘Alliance’ sends you as a courier.” 

When Liadrin sat down on the bench across from her she did so heavily and yet somehow still retained the grace and ease of movement she’d always had - even taking into consideration the heft of the armor she wore. 

“This isn’t about us. And I didn’t know you were going to be the one to show up. I wasn’t informed. As for insight - I haven’t been sent by the Alliance. I came as a favor to...it doesn’t matter. The Highlands have been at nothing more than a stalemate since this battle began. Two sides grating against each other - flip-flopping endlessly when resources might better be spent elsewhere.”

“I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t.” 

“Really?”

“You asked.” 

Liadrin was seething. Her personal feelings were edging their way into what should have been a purely political meeting and it was infuriating. 

“Liadrin, I...I was telling the truth when I said I didn’t know it would be you. If I had, I wouldn’t have agreed. You must know that by now.” 

“I do. I absolutely, unequivocally know that you would never have anything to do with me on any sort of legitimate basis if you had your way. Trust me. You’ve made it crystal clear.” She stood, then. And the strength behind the motion nearly toppled the bench she’d been sitting upon. Valeera stood, too. She rounded the table and reached for the older woman only to find a firm hand holding her jaw with a suddenness that was shocking even to her. But Liadrin was used to this armor. She understood the way it reticulated against her hand - and exactly how much pressure was too much. 

They were so close, now. Their faces merely inches away from each other as the paladin shifted her grip and slid her hand down the front of Valeera’s slender throat before resting her leather-clad palm against her chest. “I don’t have an answer for you at this moment. If you want one - you will come to Ar’gorok tonight as my guest. There will be an escort waiting for you at dusk near the path leading out of the farmstead. Or you can run. You can disappear. No one will stop you. Certainly not me. I’m used to it.” 

She took a step back, then, and lifted her shield - sliding her forearm through the thick leather straps attached to the back of it and pausing as Valeera began to speak. 

“Does it have to be Ar’gorok? The spikes don’t really suit you, Liadrin.” A smirk played at her lips as she spoke. But it faltered in response to Liadrin’s expression. An expression void of almost anything save disappointment, suddenly. With her. With herself. With everything. 

“Tonight. Tonight or nothing at all, Valeera.” 

And as much as she’d meant those words she heard them repeating in her thoughts as she perched along the window sill and looked down along the roads and paths that led to the keep. They had been so final. But she couldn’t afford to regret them. She had to know. What she was worth - if anything at all - to the other woman. And if it had to be under the guise of politics, so be it. She just needed to know. 

The answer she got wasn’t the one she’d been expecting. It came in the form of a soft knock at her door and a quiet announcement. 

“Commander, a visitor. Lady Sanguinar. She was escorted by the Guard. Do you wish them to stay or would you speak with her alone?” 

She slid from the window sill slowly. Looked down at the simple clothing she was wearing. Looked back up at the door. Tried to decipher whether or not the voice she’d heard had been real or if she might have just dozed off. 

But when she opened it her eyes landed at once on the rather agitated looking rogue between the guards she had placed near the farm. 

“I would speak with her alone, thank you.”

“Of course, Commander.” 

And then they were alone. 

Not only were they alone - but people knew they were alone. Perhaps they didn’t know why...no, they definitely didn’t know why. But they knew. 

“I hate this.” Valeera muttered under her breath as she reached up to pull the hood of a rarely worn cloak from her head and tugged her impossibly long hair from it.

“Then why did you come?” Liadrin asked - genuinely curious. Curious. But mostly shocked. 

“You wanted me to. And I…” She sighed and there was a tremor to it. A tremor that made Liadrin want to pull her close. Soothe her. Apologize for being so bold as to demand she respect her for once. But she didn’t. Somehow - she didn’t. 

And when Valeera realized she wasn’t going to give her an easy out she struggled with the overwhelming desire to turn and leave. “Whatever that was, earlier..how you were? I’ve never seen that side of you. You’ve never shown it to me.”

“There are a lot of things I’ve never shown you. You’ve never given me the chance.”

“You’re a busy woman, what can I say?” Valeera remarked dryly as she continued not looking at her - focusing, instead - on the window she’d just been sitting in. 

“A one-month ceasefire while I consult with the Warchief and her council on Arathi as a whole. Your King’s answer will arrive by way of message.” Something about that last remark - something about the whole thing - had Liadrin feeling very done. And it hurt. She just...wanted it to be over. She wanted the pain to come. To overwhelm her. She was tired of it chipping away at her - tired of the way it waxed and waned but was always there. Waiting. Waiting for the times she would wake up alone when she’d hoped she wouldn’t. Always waiting. 

Valeera was quiet for once. And eventually she managed to actually look at Liadrin. Liadrin who was suddenly tired of this dance. Who had been growing tired of it for some time, now. And she realized for one of the first times in her life that she was sorry. That she really didn’t want to lose this. And that she would never be able to give Liadrin what she wanted...much less what she deserved. 

“Now that that’s out of the way...I just want you to know that I wish I could be something that fit into your life. I wish I could do that without sacrificing everything that I am. I would have done it long ago.” But she could try. Maybe just for tonight she could try. 

“You could be.” Liadrin responded, her voice suddenly subdued. Sincere. And painfully vulnerable. But now Valeera didn’t like having the upper hand. Now she didn’t know what to do with it. This didn’t feel like a game anymore. Not when she was the only one playing it. Was she playing it? She didn’t know anymore. 

“You know that isn’t true.” She stepped closer. Ran her fingers through some of the auburn hair that hung free around the other woman’s face before stroking along her cheek. 

“It could be.” Liadrin whispered, her head shifting slightly as Valeera almost ghosted their lips together but didn’t. “Don’t tease me right now.” As if to accentuate her point she grasped Valeera’s hip in her hand in a very nearly bruising grip and pulled her forward until they were standing against each other. “I would make it so good for you. I’m not asking you for everything. Just more than what you’re giving me, now. I’m asking to not be the punchline in one of your jokes. I’m just asking for the woman that you are when you’re trembling beneath me whispering my name.” 

Valeera exhaled sharply and touched along the sides of Liadrin’s neck as the paladin’s hand came up to tangle in her hair and slowly draw her head back. “Because I know you get tired of it, too. Or else you would never let me see that. You would never whimper for me. You would never beg for me. You would never strut around like a peacock until I fuck you so well you don’t have to pretend anymore. ...Or am I wrong?” 

Valeera remained quiet as Liadrin lifted her suddenly after sliding her hands down the small of her back and beneath the curve of her ass. She swallowed thickly when she found herself pinned between the older woman and the door behind her. 

Liadrin found the underside of her jaw with her teeth then - dragging them closer and closer together. Only threatening to bite...but not. Just clicking shut softly against her skin so she could feel the way she shuddered in response. “Am I wrong, Valeera?” She repeated - her voice a low murmur just beneath the lobe of her ear. 

“No.” Whatever it had cost her to admit that - whatever part of her it had wounded - whatever carefully constructed facet of the fortress that was Valeera Sanguinar had just been irreparably damaged remained silent. Subdued. Burned by the light that touched the darkness of it. 

“I didn’t think so.” 

She almost balked at that. And perhaps she would have were she not being carried towards the bed across the room. Were she not behind pressed down into it and pinned by hands that held the sides of her face and lips and teeth that blazed their way down her throat before letting go when their owner traveled too far down and then sat up - kneeling between her spread legs. 

Valeera watched with bated breath and parted lips as Liadrin tugged her own shirt over her head - revealing a body the younger woman would never tired of seeing. Strong. Beyond imagining. Scarred. Bruised in some places from her armor. Light purple streaks where bandages and underwrappings weren’t enough to protect delicate skin from cold, hard plate.

And then she was upon her again. Guiding one of Valeera’s hands up her own body - tightening her grip over her own breast through the hand she was holding and claiming Valeera’s mouth with her own. 

The rogue gasped into the roughness of the kiss. Forced air into her lungs when Liadrin parted from it long enough to unclasp her cloak and rid the other woman of the read leather cuirass currently keeping them apart. For as insignificant as it was - it was still too much. She needed to touch her. Everywhere. And she did. 

Everywhere her mouth wasn’t on - her hands were. Kneading one of her breasts until Valeera hissed and arched into the touch and was rewarded with a sudden, sharp pinch of her nipple that was quickly soothed by the silky heat of Liadrin’s mouth. Sucking and grazing with her teeth. The sound of her own undergarments tearing drew a shuddering, quaking moan from her and Liadrin lifted her head - pressing their cheeks together before she husked against her ear. 

“Tell me whose you are. Tell me who you think about when you can’t bring yourself to skulk down my hallways so you lie awake touching yourself instead. Tell me whose touch you still feel against your skin when you leave me every time I open myself to you.” The whole while - she was spreading her. Holding her open and grazing her entrance with the tips of her free fingers. 

“Please.” The last word was followed by Liadrin’s forehead meeting the pillow beside Valeera’s ear. And the younger woman lifted her hands to stroke up the broad, straining expanse of her back. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until then. And she drew her thighs up along the sides of Liadrin’s - pressing them against her sides before she let them slip down again. Perhaps she hadn’t realized Liadrin didn’t know. Though she couldn’t imagine how. 

“Yours, Liadrin.” She murmured breathlessly, turning her head so her lips brushed Liadrin’s ear as she spoke - one of her hands coming up to tug at the messy bun that held most of her hair up before she finally got it undone and gathered into her fist. “I need you. I know you know that. I know you do.” Her back arched from the bed as the first digit began to slide into her in a torturously slow manner. She clenched her teeth as she tightened around it - desperately craving more. 

And finally, there was no more room for words. Valeera touched her everywhere she could. Mostly her back. Her shoulders. Anywhere she could dig her nails into as her rhythmic whimpers and moans moved across the flushed skin of Liadrin’s face as they shifted until they could have looked at each other if they could’ve kept their eyes open long enough. But they were too far gone. Lost entirely in something only they could give themselves. Give each other. 

Liadrin’s breathing was ragged and labored against the heat of the room and the heat of Valeera’s body coupled with the constant arching of her body with each thrust. Movements so powerful she found herself following Valeera up the bed - digging her knees into the sheets for any purchase she could find. Until the younger woman was quaking beneath her with her legs wrapped around her waist so tightly she was hampering her movements. Until she became the woman Liadrin had fallen for. The one that laid herself so utterly bare through desperate attempts at her name and trembling hands grasping her - kneading her skin. The woman that pleaded with her to keep going. As though she would stop. As though Liadrin wasn’t chasing Valeera’s orgasm more fervently, even, than she was. 

And when it came, Liadrin swallowed her cries in a breathless kiss as she pushed her hand further beneath her to cradle the back of her neck. 

Gradually, she slowed. Relaxed against the younger woman as her thighs still trembled even as they began to relax down against the bed. Liadrin tried not to pour so much of herself into Valeera. She tried every single time. 

She hadn’t quite got the hang of it yet. 

Only this time - it would seem - Valeera was even more intent than usual upon returning it. 

She was still in a daze as the other woman turned them onto their sides and sat up, gazing down at her through blurred eyes as she trailed her fingertips along her side while her skin and muscle still shifted over her ribs with her heavy, quick breaths. 

Valeera stayed sitting as she reached between Liadrin’s legs to touch along the wetness that glistened there in the low lantern light of the stone-walled room. She wanted to taste her. And she had a difficult time not going after what she wanted. This was no exception. She lowered herself onto her side slowly, running her hand up to the inside of Liadrin’s knee to lift her leg. She didn’t give her even a moment to recover - to gather her wits about her - before she was pressing a warm, lingering kiss to her clit. And she was repaid with warm breaths against her own. A hand spreading her own legs - holding one of them up. 

As they pressed closer to each other she could feel the way Liadrin’s stomach jumped and tensed when she began lapping at her clit. Much the same as her own did. She was already on edge again. Far too quickly. And when Liadrin began moaning softly against her she barely managed to hold on. But hold on she did. Even as her hips bucked of their own accord against the talented mouth working against her. 

For once - it was Liadrin who faltered. Who dug her fingertips into Valeera’s ass to drag her closer even as she had to pull away from her when her entire body shook and the strength of her thigh threatened to overwhelm Valeera while she held it up - continuing to flick her tongue against the older woman’s too-sensitive clit. But when Liadrin buried her face against her again she had no choice but to stop. Because it was all she could do to just hold on. Liadrin had an easier time keeping her thighs parted for herself despite the fact that she was still shaking from the aftershocks of her own orgasm. And she wasn’t satisfied until Valeera was reaching between her own legs - tugging at anything she could find until finally she found purchase on an ear - to stop her. 

Fuck, she needed to breathe. She was barely managing even that simple task, now. 

The exhaustion washed over them quickly, then. And Liadrin reached down to her, taking the hand that lifted weakly towards her own to pull the younger woman up to lay facing her.  
Golden eyes opened in slits - focused on her, but only just. And Valeera kissed the fingertips that came up to wipe her lips before they curled against her cheek. 

Perhaps she could try. Just a little harder. 

On nights like these - they both made concessions. 

For Liadrin, the dance became bearable. And hope that often fled her filtered in like light through dried, falling leaves. Distorted and dim. Flickering. But there, nonetheless. 

For Valeera - the game faded into something terrifyingly real. As real as the strong arm that eventually came to wrap around her slender waist. As real as the evidence she’d left in deep, reddening marks along Liadrin’s back. 

Before she really knew what she was doing, Valeera moved even closer, somehow, and buried her face against Liadrin’s hair. 

She didn’t move to get dressed. She didn’t scramble for something witty to patch the newly revealed flaws in her mask. 

Was this trying? 

She hoped so. 

She damn sure didn’t know what else to do.

"Truce"  
Lucius

I caught you talking to yourself  
You're so fed up and I can tell  
This leads to nobody's win  
Why don't we bury this thing  
There's words we meant to say  
And words we can't erase  
But this hatchet's rusted out  
Don't need it anyhow

Now that we've opened the floor  
Move with me until we are cured

I know we've had enough  
You know it's true  
I'm calling your bluff  
Let's call it a truce  
I know we've had enough  
You know it's true  
I'm calling your bluff  
Let's call it a truce 

You caught me falling under your spell  
It's been some time but I can tell  
We haven't flown too far  
To save our lonely hearts  
There's words we meant to say  
And words we can't erase  
But this hatchet's rusted out  
Don't need it anyhow

Now that we've opened the floor  
Move with me until we are cured


	2. Believe

Valeera’s fingertips were still just above the hilts of her daggers as her skin prickled from the nape of her neck up along her scalp and her narrowed eyes shifted from Shaw to Anduin. She hadn’t even let the door shut all the way behind her and the young King had never seen her like this. Ready to do what she was best at. Not in his presence, anyway - and he wondered what about this had her on edge. Was she really this good at reading a room?

“Tell me what’s going on, Anduin.” Her voice was low and measured as Shaw crossed his arms over his chest and Anduin cleared his throat - trying his best to keep his chin raised and his expression stern despite how difficult he was finding it. 

“Shut the door, please, Valeera.” He responded. 

“No.” Her response was short and simple and there was no room for argument. 

Shaw made the next move - uncrossing his arms and making a move to walk around the conference table towards her and the door. “Then I’ll shut it for you.” The swiftness with which Valeera drew her daggers gave him pause and caused Anduin to reach out and grasp the Spymaster’s shoulder. 

“Don’t make this worse than it has to be, Shaw.” He warned softly - his already frayed nerves threatening to come apart on him. 

“I wasn’t the one in a Horde Commander’s bed last night.” He hissed darkly in response as he turned on the young man. 

Valeera felt rage and indignance roil up with a fierce, uncontrollable suddenness and it made the fel green of her eyes burn all the more vibrantly as the leather grips in her hands protested at the strength with which she held them. “When did whose bed I share become the business of either of you?” She demanded, shutting the door, now, of her own accord. Rather heavily, at that. 

“Since that bed was located in Ar’gorok, Valeera.” The mixture of betrayal and...regret? In Anduin’s voice caused her breath to catch in her throat as her brow furrowed and she looked to him, her heart pounding in her chest and her pulse roaring in her ears.

“What do you intend to do, then, my _King_?” She spat as she shifted her heel behind her - finding the crack where the door met the frame so she would know right where to reach if need be and cursing the lack of windows in the room. 

“Nothing. I intend to look the other way as you leave Stormwind. Unless you come back. If you come back...my hands will be tied. We can’t… _I_ can’t afford such a liability in the middle of a war.”

Valeera tilted her head for a moment as Anduin seemed unable to meet her gaze and then looked at Shaw with unbridled hatred burning in her eyes. “Pray, Spymaster, that you do not meet me outside of this room.” She whispered as she sheathed her daggers and reached behind herself for the handle of the door. 

“Pray that whatever you saw...whatever you heard last night...was worth what will happen to you if you do.” 

Again, Anduin grasped his shoulder as she left - melting into the shadows of the hallway and into the darkness of the streets beyond. She was furious. She was livid. She was _hurt_. What happened between her and Liadrin was...was _theirs_. It was sacred. Untouched by the outside world. And now...suddenly...she had nothing. She’d had time to gather her affects, of course. They were few and easily accessible in case a situation like this were ever to happen...though the specifics, she’d never expected. 

Her whole life was slung in a bag and the strap dug into her chest - a burden that threatened to pull her to the ground as she took to the back roads and paths . She wasn’t used to this. She was used to the comfort and convenience of portals and magic and nothing she wore was suited to traipsing about the woods in the middle of the night. 

At some point in her journey she realized it might be wise to change. She inspected briar-cuts and tears in the leather of her armor carefully before packing it away and slipping, instead, into leathers of muted burgundy and a dark cloak that she tucked her hair in carefully after giving up on removing the tangles and small twigs that had become interwoven in it. Again, she almost buckled under the weight of what had happened. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. She had to keep moving. 

It took a considerable amount of gold to find a mage to get her to Quel’thalas, and even then it hadn’t been to Silvermoon, but the outskirts. But gold she had in plenty. What she needed was...gods, anything. Anything. She didn’t know. Liadrin. She needed Liadrin. A safe place to sleep and...no. No, she didn’t need to consider the rest, now. 

It was strange to feel less out of place among the elves of Silvermoon than the humans of Stormwind and yet somehow entirely out of place all at once and the muted reds of her clothing drew little attention to her. No one recognized her. She’d been on the move for so long even her lipstick was now the barest hint of stain on her lips. 

Valeera was exhausted. Her legs were screaming in protest of further movement and her daggers felt heavy against her hips beneath her cloak and the bag? Gods, the bag was unbearable. Yet the closer she got to Liadrin’s rooms - the more careful she had to be. Looking the part wasn’t enough, no. There were officers in these wings that would know exactly who she was and she hadn’t the energy left in her to find out what that might mean for her.

She was panting quietly when she finally found Liadrin’s door and leaned against it, listening carefully to...nothing. Panic. Again. Panic - as her fists clenched against the wood of the door and then pounded into it while she hissed through her clenched teeth and shut her eyes tightly against the burning feeling in them that blurred her vision. “Fuck you.” She whimpered against it. “Fuck you.” 

It wasn’t Liadrin’s fault. None of this was Liadrin’s fault. She had done this. All of it...and she had nowhere left to run, now. 

The bag was so heavy. Her mind was focusing on the oddest things, now, and the bag was just so heavy. She needed to eat. She needed to...to take off the bag. 

Her hands trembled faintly around the strap as she lowered it to the floor against Liadrin’s door and looked down at it. Oh, she didn’t have time to contemplate her existence right now, damn it. Or the fact that all of it fit in there. 

So she found herself wandering back down the hall. To the alleys outside. The Inns. She wasn’t sure about them. It was a night the officers of Silvermoon’s military often frequented them. Too dangerous. Too risky. 

Where was her bag? 

She trailed her fingertips along the wall of whatever building she was walking behind as she continually forced any more serious thoughts than hunger from her mind until she heard voices approaching and lowered her head slightly. Leftovers. Both of the men walking towards her had bundles in their hands and they smelled wonderful. 

“Pardon.” Cool. Calm. Bordering on flirtatious. It caught their attention immediately. “I have more than enough coin to cover one of those bundles. The Inn is so far and my rooms are so near. If you would be so kind.” A smile. And it seemed so genuine, too. It wasn’t...but she’d always been good at this. 

“Why don’t we all go up to your rooms and make an evening of it?” The one nearest to her asked with an almost cocky smirk. 

Her smile faded immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tired. Liadrin was tired. She’d only just arrived from Arathi this morning and her day had been full of briefings and paperwork that could have absolutely waited for tomorrow but were somehow pressing enough that they needed her immediate attention. She just wanted to crawl into her bed. Her eyes were blurred, already, with sleep - so much so that she stumbled against what appeared to be a duffle bag laying across her doorway. She blinked at it in confusion and leaned down to untie it - her brows furrowing as her vision cleared when it landed upon vibrant red leather that was quite obviously torn almost beyond repair. She pulled it up towards her face as though she needed further confirmation and bolted upright when the distinct smell of Valeera found her senses. 

She opened her door in a panicked rush - cursing repeatedly under her breath and rushing inside to find a cloak to throw on once she hurriedly unbuckled her pauldrons - at least wanting to rid herself of those for whatever she was about to get into. 

What had happened? By the light, what had happened? Valeera never brought a bag. Never. Not a single time...and there was so much in this one. And the tears...the tears in her clothing…

The sound of her boots against the floors and the the cobbles of the streets outside and the urgency of her steps caused anyone she walked past to move out of her way, as well they should. And if that hadn’t done it - the blaze of gold in her eyes would have. Where was she? Where _was_ she?

When the sound of a scuffle met her ears not too long into her search Valeera wasn’t exactly the first thing to come to mind. She wouldn’t be so careless. That wasn’t even in the realm of possibility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Valeera’s next action might not have been the wisest course. But it was the course she chose, nonetheless. 

“I asked nicely.” She muttered as she reached out and snatched the bundle from the one who’d spoken so brazenly - turning around to make her way to somewhere quiet to eat. 

She was almost glad to feel a hand wrapping strongly around her bicep - faltering as he felt the surprising firmness of the muscle there. And certainly second-guessing himself when she turned slowly to reveal a smirk that was more threat than it was smile. 

Valeera didn’t bother with her daggers. She didn’t need to make a mess. Besides, this would be more fun without them - or at least she guessed it would be. And she wasn’t wrong. Especially not when the first man slid to the ground after making rather solid contact with the nearby wall and his friend made the mistake of coming up behind her. 

“It’s considered polite to ask a lady to dance. What’s the saying?” He grabbed her wrist as she reached for him but only because she let him. “Assuming makes an ass of you and me. That’s it.” She had the second one down after a quick scuffle and was just about to turn to meet the first again as he stood when a booming voice echo down the alley. 

The men might have paused at the command - at the deepness and the power of the simple order of “Stop!” if their pride were any less wounded or they were any less drunk. 

As it was, Valeera was the only one that froze. Liadrin. Shit. Fuck. Liadrin. 

That gave the first of them all the opportunity he needed to bowl her over onto her front and before Valeera even knew what was happening - Liadrin had thundered in their direction and lifted both of them by the collars of their shirts - pinning them solidly against the wall with one forearm across each of their chests. 

Their eyes widened as the glow of her eyes illuminated her features in the shadow of the hood of her cloak. Now this was a face anyone would recognize. 

“Explain.” She ground out through gritted teeth as she heard the woman behind her begin to right herself through what she assumed might have been injury - but was only slight concern, in actuality. 

“She took our food! When I tried to grab her, she…” 

“She what?” Liadrin demanded - pushing him harder into the wall as his feet dangled an inch or so above the ground. It was only then that she noticed the bruise forming around his eye and the fact that his friend seemed even worse off than he was. Yet they still weren’t keen to admit they’d most definitely been losing. 

“I asked first.” 

Liadrin’s head snapped to the side at the sound of Valeera’s voice. She dropped them to their feet immediately. “Go. Now. Out of my sight before I have you both taken into custody. If there is a single mark on her - you’ll hear from me in the morning. You had better hope there isn’t.” 

As soon as they scuffled out of the way, Liadrin turned on Valeera and grabbed her arm, half-dragging her, half-walking her towards the building containing the Officers’ quarters. She fixed her hood from where it had begun to slip free of her head before they entered and slid her arm into a more natural loop around her waist. It was easy for guards to ignore the sight of one of their superiors bringing a pretty woman to their bed. At least, that’s what Liadrin was banking on tonight. And, thank the Light, it worked. 

By the time Liadrin shut her door and latched it behind herself - Valeera was already running through a million excuses. A million reasons for being here and for what had happened. But, for once, she was quiet as Liadrin laid into her.   
“That was stupid, Valeera. That was so...so incredibly _stupid_. Why didn’t you _wait_ for me? Why...what are you even doing here? Your bag...your leathers are torn, I…”

Valeera swallowed thickly as she physically flinched and turned her head away from Liadrin slightly - the trembling in the Paladin’s voice not registering. The worry behind the accusatory tone missing her, as well. 

The shimmer of a fresh cut along her cheek in the light at this angle caused Liadrin to move closer to her. “I’ve never been so scared.” Liadrin breathed, not bothering to wipe the tear she felt leaving a trail along her cheek on its way down. 

“Let me see you. Light, let me see you, Valeera.” 

Something about the touch of soft leather against her cheek - and then the sight of Liadrin tugging both her gauntlets off in anxious frustration - caused her eyes to shut and her shoulders to shake. Only once. One barely perceivable heave that she couldn’t quite control. 

There was a warmth in Liadrin’s touch, now. One she hadn’t felt before. Each time she found a new cut - it was there. A sting, at first. A slight sting the first time her fingertips trailed along her skin followed, immediately, by relief. Until she found herself wrapped in her arms and the warmth consumed her. Fingertips dug into her slender back through her cloak and even the smallest scrapes from the thickets she’d traipsed through that still stung even now disappeared. She could feel them leave - replaced by something she’d never felt before. Until, slowly, it faded. 

Valeera wasn’t sore, anymore. She wasn’t bruised. The lack of physical distractions brought the emotional ones to the forefront of her mind in a sudden, overwhelming rush. 

“Shaw knew.” She whispered into Liadrin’s neck as she buried her face against it. “Anduin knows.” She was clutching at Liadrin’s armor in a way she never had before. 

Liadrin relieved her weak legs of her own weight and carried her carefully to the bed, sitting her on the edge of it and not leaving her presence as she began to unbuckle her armor. As soon as her breastplate was gone, Valeera’s head fell against her stomach and Liadrin’s hands hovered over her hood for a moment before they slowly pulled it away from her head and found her hair. There was too much debris in it for there to be any hope to pick it all out for her without a bath. Instead, she just stroked through what little of it wasn’t tangled as Valeera wrapped her hands around her thighs. 

Liadrin stood still for her as the rest of her armor clattered to the floor and once it was gone she dropped to her knees in front of her. Even if Valeera couldn’t say the words - Liadrin knew. Liadrin knew what this discovery might have meant for the High King of the Alliance. And what it meant for Valeera. 

All she could do was cradle her face in her hands and lift it - looking into eyes that she was level with and stroking along her cheeks with her thumbs. “You are welcome here. Always. I will never turn you away.” She murmured - licking her dry lips as a thousand unreadable, undefinable emotions flickered through Valeera’s eyes. “And anyone who would try to would answer to me.” 

Valeera allowed the touch because she needed it. She allowed the words to wash over her - but not too deeply. Just enough to soothe the rawest of her hurts. She pulled away, though, when the look in Liadrin’s eyes became too much for her, and looked around the room for a moment before she began to attempt to remove herself from the bed only to find Liadrin’s hand around her wrist. 

“No.” The paladin’s voice was soft....but firm in a way that she could conveniently allow the option to move away from her to leave herself for now. 

Liadrin pulled her back into herself as she moved to lay on her side behind Valeera and wrapped an arm around her tightly. “We don’t have to talk anymore tonight.” She whispered soothingly into hair she didn’t care was dirty. 

With a wave of Liadrin’s hand - the golden glow of the lights in the room died down to almost nothing. Valeera only nodded. No more talking. No more. 

“I’m hungry.” 

Liadrin wasn’t sure how much time had passed or how many thoughts had raced through her mind while she’d held the younger woman. Thoughts of Valeera _staying_. Of Valeera _needing_ her. Of everything being different. It was difficult to remind herself she’d promised her they didn’t have to talk tonight as she pulled away slowly and made her way towards the door - casting a single glance towards the bed when her hand hesitated on the handle. 

“I’m not going anywhere, Liadrin.” 

The Paladin cleared her throat and looked away quickly - pretending that wasn’t exactly what had been on her mind as she slipped from the room. 

“I have nowhere to go.” 

Valeera admitted this to the empty room...and to herself. And then she pulled Liadrin’s plush comforter against her face and let out a trembling breath against it. She didn’t move again until she heard footsteps outside the door and had she any capacity for genuine thought left she might have wondered how Liadrin had produced something so resplendent so quickly. But, then, it was easy to forget how much pull the woman had, sometimes. She never really benefited from it. Never allowed herself to. 

But it couldn’t hurt just this once. And that’s what she told herself as she started in on the roasted squab and delicately sliced potatoes that accompanied it. Valeera didn’t thank her, but Liadrin hadn’t expected her to. She just leaned back against the headboard of her bed and tried her best to look at anything else but the sight of Valeera having a meal in her bed. 

Liadrin almost couldn’t recall how to breathe as Valeera pushed the plate to the other side of the large expanse of it and all but fell against her - her arm draped across her middle and her face hidden against her chest. She almost didn’t know where to put her hands. But she settled on stroking carefully along her back for a while before she reached beneath her tucked chin to unclasp her cloak and remove it. When she leaned over to toss it on the chair beside her bed she could have sworn she felt the arm around her tighten. But she was tired. She might have been imagining it. 

And she didn’t dare mention it. She just stayed as still as she could manage - silently willing Valeera to sleep so that she could, herself. So that she...so that they could both wade through this mess come morning.

"Believe"  
Mumford & Sons

You may call it in this evening  
But you've only lost the night  
Present all your pretty feelings  
May they comfort you tonight

And I'm climbing over something  
And I'm running through these walls

I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I believe  
Everything you're trying to say to me

I had the strangest feeling  
Your world's not all it seems  
So tired of misconceiving  
What else this could've been

I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I believe  
Everything you're trying to say to me

So open up my eyes  
Tell me I'm alive  
This is never gonna go our way  
If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind

Say something, say something  
Something like you love me  
Less you wanna move away  
From the noise of this place

Well I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I believe  
I don't even know if I wanna believe  
Anything you're trying to say to me

So, open up my eyes  
Tell me I'm alive  
This is never gonna go our way  
If I'm gonna have to guess what's on your mind


	3. Gorgeous

Liadrin woke with a faint wince in response to the crick in her neck and stilled the instant she tried to move - looking down at the weight draped across her stomach and willing herself to take the next breath as memories of the previous night came flooding back. They seemed so far away, suddenly, as the light from her windows caught the gold of Valeera’s hair and highlighted the features of her face. She looked so peaceful. She looked so perfect. And Liadrin had never seen her this way.

The sun. The angles. Late...it was late. Fuck. 

Liadrin slid slowly from beneath her, caressing her cheek as she lowered it to the bed and took a step or two back - finding it nearly impossible to tear her eyes away. Especially when narrow slits of green suddenly found her and then shut tightly. 

Valeera groaned softly and turned her head against the comforter, splaying out along the bed and going still after her shoulders heaved heavily with a sigh. She felt...strange. A strangeness she didn’t have the words for. 

“I have a meeting.” Liadrin explained quietly - though she faltered when Valeera stretched a hand out towards her. Beckoning her closer. The steps almost took themselves. “I can’t stay.” Liadrin whispered even as she moved to lay on her side next to the younger woman on the bed she had only just removed herself from. 

“I didn’t ask you to.” Valeera breathed, turning to face her and curling her arms between them as she tucked her head beneath Liadrin’s chin. 

It was true. She hadn’t. Yet here they were. Or, rather, here Liadrin was...and she’d never wanted to stay somewhere more than she wanted to right then. 

“I suppose you didn’t.” Liadrin’s voice was deep and pleasant - slightly husky with sleep and barely-contained emotion. But contain it she would, even as Valeera’s hands began to wander. Even as the younger woman rolled onto her back and pulled her along with her. 

“Valeera, I have to go. I have..I need to get ready.” 

Valeera tilted her head up slowly and allowed her lips to brush Liadrin’s pulsepoint as she responded. “Then go.” Followed by a kiss that drove fire into the older woman’s veins. A kiss that started with teeth and ended with the warm silk of Valeera’s lips against her neck along with intermittent strokes of the tip of her tongue. 

Liadrin exhaled sharply when she finally pulled away - looking down at Valeera as the woman smirked up at her, still half-asleep. “Did..did you…” 

Liadrin lifted a hand to the wetness that was cooling against her neck and she rushed towards the bathroom and turned her jaw to look at herself in the mirror - tracing her fingertips over the bruise forming on her skin. She turned to look through the door back into the bedchamber in time to see Valeera turn back over onto her stomach and, as irritating as her self-satisfied laughter was, she couldn’t help the feeling of warmth it caused to rise in her. 

She healed the mark quickly and did her best to put herself together to the quiet, even sounds of Valeera sleeping - slipping into a set of leathers in Blood Knight colors with a high collar that split at the center of her throat. It made up for the fact that all she’d been able to do about her appearance other than that was brush her hair out and pull it back up again. 

Never in her life had a meeting lasted so long. Not once. Thankfully, her agitation wasn’t at all out of place. She usually was agitated rather quickly into these gatherings. Agitated with stupidity...with inexperience. A good cover for the fact that she really just wanted to be in her rooms. To feel Valeera...to feel that she was there and this was real. 

“Lady Liadrin?” 

She lifted her gaze from the council table to Lor’themar slowly. 

“Apologies, Reagent-Lord. I haven’t yet recovered from my tour. You have kept me busy since my return. The truce stands. All is quiet on the front.” She leaned back in her chair and regarded him calmly as he flipped through various sheets of parchment - most of which she’d written just yesterday. 

“What is your opinion on pulling our troops out of the area? If the truce stands - when could we expect to be able to withdraw? My concern, as per usual, rests on our own borders first and foremost. Arathi has been bleeding us dry.” 

“My opinion? We could lessen our presence, but not disperse it entirely. The Warchief is still weighing her options in regards to the Highlands and until we receive further word, I would suggest allowing things to remain largely the same.” 

He grumbled his agreement and turned his attention back to the reports for a moment, reviewing things he’d already spent the morning pouring over. 

And here she had thought this would be over soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A hundred thoughts raced through Liadrin’s mind as she made her way back to her rooms - each and every one of them hidden behind a stony gaze that didn’t land upon a single other living soul on her way. She didn’t have time to talk. She didn’t _want_ to talk. Not running down the hallway once she reached the one she was seeking was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, yet her hand froze once it met her door. What if she was gone?

“I can hear you, Liadrin.” The voice beyond was muffled, slightly, with both distance and sleep - and she felt the fear subside immediately. 

Liadrin was treated to the sight of Valeera stretching languidly as she shut the door without looking, pausing for a while just to see her there, waiting. Valeera, likewise, found Liadrin a rather enthralling sight. She was used to seeing her in her armor...which was attractive in and of itself, but seeing her in leather that showed so much more than Valeera was used to seeing was another experience entirely. No clothing at all was wonderful, certainly. And she’d take that over just about anything, but...damn. 

“You certainly cut a figure.” She murmured as she pushed herself up and leaned back against the headboard. 

“So do you, Valeera.” 

“Mm, do I? As filthy as I am?” 

“Filthy, bed hair, half-starved...yes. Still.” Liadrin finally moved further into the room, then, the heels of her boots making sounds of contact with the floor that drew Valeera’s gaze along the line of her body. The tailoring was impeccable. Her eyes were naturally drawn to the length of Liadrin’s legs...and to the thick musculature of thighs that she had grasped more times than she could count. 

“I don’t know how to feel, Liadrin.” She murmured absently. Almost listlessly. It was so sudden and so vulnerable that Liadrin’s brow furrowed in response as she made her way over to the bed and reached out, drawing a few of the more wild strands of hair from Valeera’s face. 

Valeera stared at the far wall of the bedroom for a while until Liadrin’s fingertips found the line of her brow and traced it up into her hairline. There was something about Liadrin’s skin against her own. There always had been. It made things...make sense. And she desperately needed things to make sense right now. “Talk to me.” Liadrin whispered, cradling the back of Valeera’s head as the younger woman shifted to lean against her. “You don’t have to feel anything at all. We can take this...whatever this is...slow.”

“That isn’t what you want.” 

Liadrin froze. She was right. It wasn’t. She wanted to _know_. To know unequivocally that Valeera was here to stay. She wanted to know a million things neither of them was sure Valeera would ever be able to tell her. “Let me wash your hair. Would you like that?”  


Valeera lifted her head slowly and ran her hands along the fronts of Liadrin’s legs as she moved to sit over the edge of the bed. She was surprised, honestly. She was surprised that Liadrin didn’t pick up that thread and run with it. She’d learned over the years, perhaps, how to keep from scaring her. How to keep her from running. Or at least how to try. 

Liadrin’s eyes followed Valeera’s as the younger woman stood and stroked along her chest, toying with the collar of her tunic and then resting her hand along the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered slightly in response to a rather oddly chaste kiss placed against her jaw. “I would. Thank you.” 

Valeera didn’t look back to see if Liadrin was following her into the bathroom because of course she was. She’d been about to undress herself when the Paladin’s hands stopped her own and carefully removed her shirt, her eyes lingering for just a moment on exposed skin before her hand slid down Valeera’s body as she leaned over to turn on the tap so the tub would begin to fill. 

As many times as she’d been in these rooms, Valeera had never bathed here. She’d never stayed long enough. 

“Do you even take advantage of any of this?” She asked when Liadrin stood back up, though her eyes were still trailing over the polished marble surfaces of the spa-like bathing room. Even the tub, itself was a rarity. And that was saying a lot for their people. It was large enough to fit a handful of adults and the smooth, rounded basin of it was lined along the sides with what appeared to be some sort of jet system. 

Everything was fit for a Commander to come home and rest her weary bones and soothe her aches...but Valeera doubted that ever really happened. 

“No.” Liadrin’s response was simple and there was no real thought in it. “Sit down. Here.” Liadrin unlaced Valeera’s leggings and pulled them down as she moved to sit - ignoring the way the supple leather slid down along impeccably smooth skin...and trying her best to ignore other impeccably smooth skin she’d revealed. 

Valeera often contemplated Liadrin’s self-imposed piety. Now, more than ever. “You’re allowed to look at me, you know. And you’re allowed to touch me.” 

Liadrin’s golden eyes lifted, then, and Valeera met them and held them. It was an uncommon occurrence...and the fact that Liadrin was the first to look away was even more of a rarity. “I’m washing your hair, remember? Make sure the water is warm enough for you.”

Valeera frowned faintly but turned and slipped her feet into the water. Scalding, nearly. Which she preferred. She sank down into the water slowly, groaning quietly in appreciation before she spread her arms out along the edge of the sizeable tub and sighed. 

Liadrin watched her - making sure she was comfortable before she began removing her own clothes. This, at least, she would allow herself. She didn’t want to ruin them - they were only worn for council meetings, after all. Once they were bundled neatly on a nearby shelf she moved to sit on the edge of the tub. Valeera lifted herself and moved her arms so they rested over Liadrin’s kneels so that she could trail her fingertips along her legs. 

It was so strangely intimate and easy. Strange for Liadrin and easy for Valeera. Skin. Liadrin’s skin beneath her fingertips. Familiar. Safe. 

Strange. Closeness. Tenderness on a level they’d never explored - on a level that caused Liadrin to pause and get lost in it for a while. 

“Valeera…”

“Mm?”

“Your hair.” Her voice was a whisper - much like her touch along the slender, delicate line of Valeera’s shoulder. 

“Mm.” It sounded like agreement, at least. 

Apparently, it had been, because Valeera slid down into the water and ran her hands over her hair until all of it was adequately wet. 

Liadrin took her time. She stroked every speck of grime from Valeera’s hair and painstakingly untangled it while it conditioned - stroking along her scalp with her fingertips now and then. “Do you like that?” She asked as she poured more water from the palm of her hand just behind Valeera’s hairline and followed it with the other, slowly working water through every strand until they were free of the treatment she’d been letting sit. 

“So much.” 

The smile this brought to Liadrin’s lips was soft and genuine. It had been a painstaking process. Liadrin knew how important Valeera’s hair was to her. And it was beautiful. Like the rest of her. It deserved the utmost care and attention...and Liadrin had given it that in spades. 

“I’m glad.” 

Valeera’s eyes opened at that and she turned her head to the side gradually, brushing Liadrin’s inner thigh with her nose as the older woman protected the back of her head from the edge of the tub with her hand. Liadrin watched her almost curiously. 

“I don’t know that I’ve ever told you this…” Valeera murmured before she kissed the spot she’d been nuzzling against. “But you are a terribly sweet woman who ought to allow herself enjoy things more often.” Another kiss...this one slower. Warmer in a way that caused her thigh to tense until she willed it to relax. “Especially when they’re right in front of you.” 

“I am enjoying what’s in front of me.” Liadrin responded as a faint smile quirked at Valeera’s lips. 

“Are you?” 

It was clear Valeera didn’t expect an answer. Not as she turned herself between Liadrin’s legs and shifted onto her knees in the water. Valeera was more open about her appreciation. She let her eyes linger as long as she wanted them to and her hands followed her gaze while she sank back into the water - inch by inch - all the while. 

Liadrin couldn’t have looked elsewhere if she tried. She was transfixed - too caught in the heady sight of Valeera, sans makeup, with her hair plastered against her chest and over her shoulders, nothing short of devouring her with her eyes as she knelt between her legs. She stayed still aside from the steady rise and fall of her stomach - and even that changed slightly as Valeera’s fingertips traced down along her body. It became more shallow. Less frequent. Until Liadrin’s chin was almost resting on her own chest so she could watch Valeera lean forward and bite the crook of her thigh. Valeera didn’t let go. Not until she left her with a mark both of them knew Liadrin wouldn’t heal away. 

Then Valeera’s hands slid around to the backs of her hips - pulling her closer to the edge of the tub. Watching her stroke up her inner thigh and part her almost lazily bordered on obscene and if it didn’t - the way Valeera stared certainly did. “So wet, Liadrin.” She whispered, her lips parting as her thumb found her clit, if only to toy with it in a way that would bring her no satisfaction. Not yet. This was one thing Liadrin couldn’t ever hide. Couldn’t ever deny. Her body’s response to being near her. 

It started with a kiss so light it might have been almost saccharine if it hadn’t been placed just above where her thumb was pressed against her clit. But it didn’t end there, no. And, finally, Valeera drew a hiss from Liadrin’s lips as she gave her a gentle series of flicks with the tip of her tongue. 

Liadrin didn’t miss the way Valeera tilted her head to the side - no doubt specifically to be more easily seen - and she certainly didn’t mind. She did, however, mind the sudden almost rough swipe of her tongue that caused her thighs to jump and her hand to fly to the nape of Valeera’s neck. “There you go.” Valeera’s voice was a low, cocky drawl against Liadrin as the older woman tightened her grip slightly. 

“Valeera.” She gasped as she felt an almost imperceptible graze of teeth where she would have preferred to feel lips...tongue...anything. And Valeera might normally have dragged this out. But not this time. No, this time she dropped one of her hands from Liadrin’s thighs and wrapped her lips around her clit as she pressed a finger into her. 

At first, there wasn’t much sound. Just the quiet, suckling noise of Valeera between her legs and her breathy noises of appreciation while the water lapped against her sides. Nothing from Liadrin, though. She was far too overwhelmed. It was rare that Valeera pleasured her this fully - and before she’d done anything for her, first. 

When Valeera began pulling her finger away, Liadrin’s hand tightened around the back of her neck and she chuckled against her clit, though she never stopped working at it with soft sucks and gentle flicks of her tongue. Instead of pulling it out, she sank another in beside the first and began moving them. 

Suddenly, Liadrin had lost the ability to be quiet. Her breaths were quick and rasping as her head fell back and the first moan broke from her throat. If there was one thing Valeera loved, it was knowing she was doing well. It was easy, now, to tell that she was between the digging of nails into her neck and the gentle flexing of Liadrin’s hips. 

Liadrin’s hitching breaths turned into almost franting panting as Valeera parted her lips and began flicking her tongue over her clit in light, steady motions - spreading her fingers just to stretch her for a moment before she curled them and began working inside her. 

Her orgasms usually came quickly and almost frantically with Valeera. Her body was usually already at the breaking point when Valeera first touched her. This time, though, she spilled over into all-consuming pleasure, bucking against the younger woman’s mouth and trying, failing, but trying to whisper her name. 

Liadrin was trembling as she slumped forward and Valeera stroked along her faintly shaking legs before pulling her down into the warmth of the water with her. Valeera knew Liadrin would want to touch her, now. Would want to stay close to her. These were the moments her patience and learning fell to the wayside. 

There was just something about it that was different this time. Something about it that Valeera didn’t mind. As Liadrin caught her breath and stroked along the still drying expanse of her back, she trailed her fingertips along her sides to feel the way her skin shifted over her ribs while she breathed. Not until Liadrin was breathing normally did she turn away from her - but she made no move to pull away. Instead, she sat between her legs and leaned back into her chest. 

“Has anyone ever told you you’re very skilled at that?” Liadrin asked against the corner of her jaw as she kneaded her shoulders and gradually began touching further down the front of her body. 

“Perhaps.” Valeera whispered her response as Liadrin cupped her breasts and toyed with her nipples. “But I don’t mind hearing it from you.” 

Liadrin pinched gently and tugged, then, exhaling in a weak semblance of a laugh against the side of Valeera’s neck as she ghosted her lips along it. “Has anyone ever told you that you paint quite the picture when you come?” 

Liadrin’s hands stilled, but only for a moment, before they moved below the surface of the water and parted Valeera’s thighs. “Perhaps I learned that from you.” 

“I think not.” Valeera murmured, leaning her head back against Liadrin’s shoulder and turning it away so the older woman could trail a series of sharp, shallow bites soothed by kisses along her throat. 

Valeera, as always, was less restrained than Liadrin. The water lapped loudly at the sides of the tub as she reached behind herself to grasp the back of Liadrin’s neck and rocked her hips against the hands between her legs as her free hand gripped onto the older woman’s knee. 

The whole while, Liadrin’s eyes were glued to the imagery presented to her in the ceiling-length mirrors against the wall opposite them. Focused on the redness in Valeera’s cheeks and the way her breasts heaved with each deep inhale and shuddering exhale. 

It was almost impressive how Valeera could hold her gaze even when she came - with barely the faintest hint of her eyes wanting to close in protest. Green burned feverishly into gold in those mirrors as water began spilling over the edge of the tub until Valeera was coming undone in her arms with her lips parted and her brow furrowed. 

Her eyes, though. Her eyes never left Liadrin’s. Not until Liadrin finally broke the contact to bury her face against the younger woman’s neck. Then - they finally closed, and she lay, exhausted and sated, for now, in Liadrin’s lap ensconced in the strength she offered her. 

“I’m starving.” Valeera whispered after a while - still lazily toying with the little hairs that had escaped at the nape of Liadrin’s neck. 

Liadrin had to bury a smile in her hair at that. “Then I’ll have dinner brought up while you dry off.” 

“Mm, or you could dry me off and take me to bed, then have dinner brought up.” 

Liadrin kissed the top of Valeera’s head and sighed. “You’re infuriating.” 

“And after we eat, we can talk.” 

Liadrin’s smile faded, then. Her hands stilled where they’d been touching her - where they’d been bringing her down in the gentlest, most adoring of ways. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now keep spoiling me before I change my mind.”

"Gorgeous"  
X Ambassadors

I might be better off without you  
There's too many people all around you  
All these vultures that surround you  
They don't know a thing about you

You're so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous  
Oh, so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous

Nobody understands you  
You ain't nothing they can handle  
Every man you put your hands on  
You make him feel so god damn handsome

I feel, ooh, so pretty whenever you're around  
I feel, ooh, so pretty  
Feel ten feet off the ground

You're so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous  
Oh, so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous

We are young, we are free  
Like renegades, like James Dean  
Beat the drum, sing off-key  
You set me free, you set me free

Cause you're so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous  
Oh, so gorgeous  
Cause you make me feel gorgeous  
You're so gorgeous


	4. Home

“You're restless.” Liadrin’s voice was a murmur as Valeera leaned back in her arms in the bed they'd been sharing for over a week, now. She was right, of course. It felt like her skin was on fire. Every part of her balking against what this was...what it was becoming.

“Yes.” Valeera looked over towards one of the windows across from where they were laying and tried to ignore the aching in her chest. It was easier, at least, when Liadrin was here. It was easier to distract herself for many, many reasons. Even her presence, though, had begun to suffocate her. These rooms were driving her mad and they both knew it. 

“If you would let me discuss this with the Regent Lord, perhaps-”

“Perhaps what?” Valeera cut her off before she could continue. “I'm not fond of the idea of him passing judgment upon me. Him, or anyone else for that matter.” Valeera pulled away, though she did it slowly - and Liadrin let her go, watching her as she began pacing the floor beside the bed. 

“How can I help, Valeera? What can I do?” 

Valeera felt the anger rising in her - felt the need to place it somewhere. Anywhere. Before it consumed her.

“What can you do?” Her voice was low and quiet as she looked at the older woman and stopped pacing. “Really? What can you do? Did you do this on purpose, Liadrin? Did you demand I stay with you that night so that my life would be disassembled and put back together so neatly right in your lap? You can tell me the truth, you know. It's too late for anything to be done about it, now, so you might as well.” 

Liadrin was stunned. Outbursts? She could handle them, more often than not. Valeera had never had the best handle on her temper. This felt so different, though. It stung. It stung more deeply than anything had in a long time, and as her ears wilted and her face reddened, Valeera didn't back down despite the fact that everything in her was screaming at her to do something. Anything. She just stood there, glaring holes into the wounded woman in front of her. 

“I'm going for a walk.” Liadrin spoke just above a whisper, pushing herself up from the bed and rolling her shoulders stiffly as she reached for one of the cloaks by the door. Her eyes were squinted slightly against the burning in them as she threw it over her shoulders and Valeera turned to face her slowly. 

“Liadrin-”

“I said I'm going for a walk.” Now, she was whispering. “You don't have to stay, you know.” She paused halfway out the door and didn't look at the younger woman as she spoke. “In the bottom of the chest at the foot of the bed? There is more than enough gold there for you to find somewhere safe to be. Take it. I don't need it.”

Valeera felt the panic rising much like she'd felt the anger. It prickled along her scalp like tiny knives as Liadrin paused for a moment before moving to walk through the doorway.

“Please. Liadrin, please.”

Liadrin used to think she might one day be able to walk away from Valeera. From the longing and the hurt and the loneliness. Perhaps there was some part of her that still clung to that possibility, perhaps not. If there had been - it was gone, now. Lost in the quiet brokenness of those words. 

The Paladin let the door shut slowly as Valeera lowered her head and she was drawn to her, suddenly. More strongly than she could ever remember being. It only took a few steps before she was pulling Valeera against her chest. 

“I’m sorry.” Valeera gasped against her neck as she pressed her face into the crook of it. “Don’t leave. Not right now.”

Liadrin found herself utterly stunned for the second time that night as she tried to run over the words she’d just heard to determine whether or not they’d been real. “I’m sorry, too.” She finally murmured in response as she held the younger woman more tightly. 

Liadrin could have sworn she felt something warm and wet against her neck. Perhaps tears. But the sensation was quickly replaced by the more familiar feeling of Valeera’s lips against her skin, and, in short order, her teeth. They didn’t sting like they usually did, though. They barely even bit down. By the time Valeera reached her jaw, she drew in a sharp breath and lifted a hand to the back of her head to hold her still. “You don’t need to do that.” 

“I don’t know what else to do.” Valeera’s voice nearly broke when she used it and Liadrin shook her head as she slowly released the pressure on the back of her head to stroke along her hair. 

“Just let me love you, Valeera.”

Valeera stopped moving entirely. She stopped even trying to breathe for a while. Long enough for Liadrin to begin regretting using those words. 

“I don’t know how.”

“Oh, Valeera…” Liadrin’s tone was a soft mixture of relief and sadness. “You don’t have to do anything. I’ll do it for you. Always.” 

“I’m trying.” Valeera pulled back slowly, though she didn’t look at Liadrin. She couldn’t. That was fine. Liadrin reached out to lift her chin gently as she bridged the distance Valeera had put between them. 

“I know.” Liadrin’s brow was furrowed and she had her eyes trained on Valeera’s. “I see it every day. I promise we’ll figure this out. You just have to believe I’m telling you the truth. That I’m _always_ telling you the truth. Can you try that for me, at least? I’ve never lied to you. I’ll never start. Believe at least that.” 

Too much. This was all too much. She wanted to bolt. To run as far away as she could and only return when Liadrin learned not to get too close again. This time, though, she didn’t. Somehow - she didn’t. “Alright. I’ll try.” 

Liadrin sighed quietly and leaned down to kiss her gently, pulling back when Valeera tried to deepen it. “You’re upset.” She whispered, slowly walking her backwards toward the bed. 

“Yes. And I don’t want to be anymore.” Valeera sat down on the edge of the bed when the backs of her legs hit it and Liadrin crawled further onto it behind her to pull her towards the pillows. She was strong. Definitely strong enough to tug Valeera against her chest on her side. 

“Then rest with me. Shut it all off for the night. Tomorrow is another day.” Liadrin pulled some of her hair over her shoulder slowly to stroke through it. 

“Liadrin, you know I have a hard time sleeping...I…” Valeera shut her eyes tightly and turned her head towards the pillow with a heavy sigh as Liadrin fretted over her for a moment before pushing herself up so she was propped against the headboard. 

“Come here, then.” She whispered, pulling Valeera halfway up her body so the younger woman’s head was resting against her stomach. “Close your eyes.” Her voice was so soft. So gentle. It soothed the frayed edges of Valeera’s being like the sweetest balm she couldn’t have seen coming. “There you go. That’s my girl.” 

Valeera’s next exhale left her with a shudder and Liadrin stroked down her cheek with the side of her thumb. “Shh.” 

Fuck. She...liked this. She _needed_ this. But why did it hurt so fucking bad? 

An unfamiliar sound met her ears soon. It started with almost more of a feeling than a sound, really. From deep within Liadrin’s chest. The gentlest, softest humming. It was...it was beautiful. Valeera had never heard it before. Eventually, humming became words. Words to a lullabye she hadn’t heard since she was a child. 

Valeera had never experienced anything like this, really. She knew she could have - Liadrin had made that all too apparent far too many times for her not to know that. She just...didn’t want to fight it anymore. Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow, either. She was never any good at thinking about tomorrow. Tonight, though...with Liadrin’s fingertips tracing patterns along the back of her neck and the deep, velvety richness of her voice in her ears...perhaps she could be loved. If that’s what this was. It wasn’t so bad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning.”

Valeera lifted her head slowly before groaning quietly and laying it back down, smiling faintly at the feeling of Liadrin chuckling beneath her. “Have you been sitting like this all night?” She asked - the rasp of sleep still heavy in her voice. 

“I have. I got some rest, though. It’s impossible to stay awake while you sleep.” 

“Mmm...why?” Valeera reached out and traced her fingertips along Liadrin’s hip where her shirt had ridden up and exposed it some time during the night. 

“You breathe so quietly. So evenly. I can scarcely even keep my eyes open.” 

“You’re...very something this morning.” Valeera mumbled as she lowered her head and found the places she’d been touching with her lips instead. Liadrin’s hips shifted slightly as she drew in a breath. 

“You haven’t woken up with you. You wouldn’t understand.” 

“Wouldn’t I?” Valeera murmured just beneath her navel, slipping a hand down her thigh to trace the inner seam of the pants she wore to sleep in. “I imagine it’s similar to falling asleep with you singing to me.”

“Did you like that, then?” Liadrin tilted her head down so she could better see Valeera’s face and drew some of the hair away from it slowly. 

Valeera answered her with another kiss. A gentle grasping of her thigh. And then, finally, she sat up and stretched with another groan. “You can talk to Theron. If you like. That would probably be the logical first step.” 

Liadrin’s lips parted in surprise and she reached out immediately to touch along Valeera’s lower back until she turned to look at her. “Valeera...are you certain this is what you want?” She asked quietly - allowing some of the gravity of that decision to edge its way into her voice.  
“No. I’m not certain of anything. Anything aside from the fact that…” She sighed and looked down at the deep red velvet of Liadrin’s bedcovers, touching along some of the golden embroidery of it idly. “Last night? I want that.” She continued - though her voice was considerably quieter, now. “I want that to belong to me. Only me.”

Liadrin leaned forward and pulled Valeera into a hug, stroking slowly along her back before she grasped her shirt to hold her tight. “It’s belonged to you for so long, Valeera. It’s yours whenever you want it. Whenever you need it.” 

Valeera hadn’t expected those words to bring her so much comfort. In fact, comfort was an incredibly unfamiliar feeling. But she would take it...because this wasn’t so bad, either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Lady Liadrin. You don’t come to see me often - to what do I owe the pleasure?” Lor’themar leaned back comfortably in his desk chair and smiled at her warmly. He looked tired. He looked like he was aging. Like the world had finally begun to take its toll. Didn’t they all?

“Valeera Sanguinar is in my rooms as we speak. I imagine she will remain unaligned. That choice will be hers to make, not mine, and not yours.” She pulled out the chair that was positioned on the other side of the desk across from him and sat down all too casually all things considered, crossing one leg over the other and levelling a gaze at him. “The rest is private business of my own and of hers. It is a situation of which I believe you should be aware - but a situation I believe I can tend to myself. And I intend to, Theron.” 

Too early. It was too early for this. “Liadrin, I...by the Light, what in the world…” He leaned back further and ran a gloved hand over his face, keeping it there for a moment as he shut his eyes tightly and drew in a slow breath in an attempt to relax. “Okay?” He looked rather helpless as he lowered his hands to the edge of his desk and furrowed his brow. “And is she to be trusted? With our people? With _you_? You are the last person I can afford to lose right now, Liadrin.”

“With me? Absolutely. With our people? Our people are no concern of hers, and if that ever changes, I would expect it to be for the good rather than the alternative. Valeera doesn’t make waves, Lor’themar. If she did - you’d have felt them by now.” 

He sighed and shrugged as his hands fell into his lap. “Then I suppose there is no argument that I can make against this. Your life is your own and you have given enough of it to Silvermoon to last many lifetimes. Please do be sure that she doesn’t, Liadrin. Make waves. Waves are another thing we need absolutely none of.”

“Do you think I’m not acutely aware of that, Theron? I wouldn’t be here right now if I wasn’t sure of this. Believe me.” Liadrin hadn’t so much as moved a muscle since she sat down. It wasn’t that she was nervous. Far from it. She held too much sway for that. It was just that, perhaps, she still couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. 

“Very well, then. Send my regards to Sanguinar. If she ever does intend to become more than she is now...in regards to our people, I mean...it might take some skill to accomplish what would need to be done. I’ll be here if and when that time comes. I trust you’ll come to me, first.” 

Liadrin sighed and nodded. Maybe she had been slightly nervous. Ready for a fight that had never begun. “You’ll be the first to know, Regent Lord. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.” 

“Any time.” He stood and reached out to clasp her forearm and she could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of a smile - as rare as it was - on his lips before she turned to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liadrin was...happy. She was smiling. She felt old aches fade into near nothingness as she made her way back to her rooms. But something felt...off. The minute she turned the corner something just felt wrong. She quickened her steps and by the time she opened the door she felt her heart doing its best to hammer its way out of her throat.

Valeera. Sitting on the bed...shaking like a leaf. All the color was drained from her. And if she hadn’t seen a folded piece of parchment on her dresser near the door she might have run to her. She almost did, anyway. If it weren’t for the way Valeera looked almost to ashamed to lift her gaze to her. 

“What’s this?” Liadrin asked, reaching over for the parchment and unfolding it slowly as her eyes dropped to the thick, expensive paper and the broken bits of blue wax seal still scattered across it. 

_Valeera -_

_I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for my actions. I cannot express how much I regret them. I allowed my head and the opinions of others to win out against my heart, and I promised myself that I would never do that._

_Come back to Stormwind. Please. Afford me the opportunity to tell you this in person. Afford me the opportunity to make this right. Your old passages are open. You can have them checked as thoroughly as you like, but you have my word they are safe._

_I will be looking for you this evening. I hope against hope that you will come. You were a friend to my father...and a friend to me. I pray I haven’t lost that through my short-sightedness. And, as fearful as I am that I have, I have to know if that’s the case._

_Anduin Wrynn_

No formal titles. No formalities at all, really. Just a lost boy regretting rash decisions - as lost children were wont to do. Liadrin laid the letter down and slowly looked up again only to find Valeera leaned over her own knees with her face pressed into her hands, rubbing almost furiously at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

“It could be a trap, Valeera.” She murmured quietly - trying to keep the overwhelming emotion she was struggling against buried as deeply as possible. 

“So could this.” Valeera snapped back suddenly - so fiercely it took everything Liadrin had not to take a step back. 

“Liadrin, I didn’t mean...I didn’t mean that-” The first sob broke from her, and the instant it did - Liadrin was at her side, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed and stroking over her back. 

“I know. I know you didn’t. Please...please tell me why you’re so upset.” 

What little restraint Valeera had left in her shattered, then, and Liadrin had to wait for her answer until her sobs began to die down. “You aren’t going to let me come back. I...I have to go, and...and you aren’t going to let me come back. I can’t leave this unfinished. And I’m going to lose you.” 

“You’ll never lose me.” Liadrin had to wipe a few tears from her own face, then, as Valeera shook her head. 

“You’re just saying that. You’re just fucking saying that, Liadrin.” 

“Remember when I asked you to believe me? When I told you I’ve never lied to you, and I never would? It was just last night. You must. That still stands, now. I just...I hope that you do come back.” 

Something about the pain in Liadrin’s voice and the selflessness of it all dragged Valeera out of her own misery long enough for her to turn and allow her forehead to fall against Liadrin’s shoulder. 

“But if that isn’t something you can promise me, I would understand.” 

“Tonight.” Valeera whispered. “I’ll be back before morning. I just have to finish this. I swear. Please...please just let me come h…” The word stuck in her throat so violently she almost gagged on it. 

“Shh...shh.” Liadrin gathered her into her arms and held her as close as she could manage. “You are welcome here. In as official a capacity as possible. And, also, by me.” 

Liadrin did her best to retain her composure as Valeera got herself ready. Her old armor. Her old hood. But she didn’t pack her bag. She didn’t go around and collect the belongings that had slowly become scattered around Liadrin’s rooms in a way Liadrin had only ever dreamt about before. 

She hesitated by the door. She could feel Liadrin’s eyes on her from across the room. 

“Come back to me, Valeera.” Liadrin whispered - and the vulnerability there was palpable. 

“Tonight.” Valeera responded so firmly neither of them was sure if she was reassuring Liadrin or herself. 

And then, she was gone. 

Liadrin had never felt so gutted in all her years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Valeera!” Anduin beamed at her as she slipped into his office silently and held up a hand as he approached her with open arms.

“No, Anduin. This isn’t why I came. Speak your piece.” 

Anduin faltered. He wasn’t used to this. She seemed so...cold. But he knew he deserved it. “Of course, my apologies. It’s only that I...I made a mistake, Valeera. A terrible one. Everyone who needs to know of this meeting has already been informed, of course. They’ve also been informed that upon your return, your privacy is to remain your own in every way.”

Valeera’s eyes shot up in his direction and narrowed almost dangerously. “Upon my return?” She asked with a faint edge to her voice. “And what is that, Your Majesty? The return you speak of.” 

“Well...when you come back. That’s all. It was a misunderstanding. A terrible one, I admit, but-”

“Enough. Enough, Anduin.” She made no move towards him - and no move away from him. She just stood near the door with her eyes burning into his. “Is that what you asked me here, for? To assume you have this much bearing over my life? That you could grovel at me and I would come back to your side like your dog?”

“...No. No, Valeera, of course not, I just…” 

“Assumed. You assumed. Anduin, my promise? Was to your father. And you are nothing like him. We’re done here.” 

She turned and reached for the handle and heard him move behind her, as if to reach out for her before he thought better of it and spoke, instead. “Where are you going?” 

“So, that’s still a thing for you, huh? Already, you prove your words are hollow. If you must know...I’m going home.” 

Anduin’s face fell and he felt confusion wash over him. “Valeera, I know you. You might not think I do, but I do. And we both know you aren’t going ‘home’.”

Valeera smirked instead of allowing anger to take hold of her again. “Perhaps some day you’ll learn that ‘home’ isn’t always a place, Anduin.” 

He’d been true to his word. Even on the journey back - her pathways and portal networks were clear. Only this time...she dismantled each one as she left it. What gold she had with her was used to relieve contacts of their services. Any ties she had directly to Anduin would be severed. Any and all bridges burned. Private work, she left. Work untouched by royalty and assumations and entitlement. 

By the time she was standing at the end of the hallway that led to Liadrin’s rooms - the gravity of what she’d done threatened to crash down on her. What if Liadrin didn’t let her in? What if she’d changed her mind - realized all of this wasn’t worth it? 

Every step was forced. Her body fought to go in the other direction. And she was shaking almost uncontrollably by the time she knocked. She _knocked_. 

Liadrin didn’t dare hope it was Valeera. Valeera never knocked. But that didn’t stop her ears from lifting and the weight on her chest from growing heavier. 

“Yes?” Her voice was as strong as she could will it to be in that moment. Visitors came to her door frequently. If she assumed every single one of them was Valeera until she returned...if she returned...she risked losing her mind entirely. 

Oh, her voice. The trepidation she was trying to hide beneath its sternness. Valeera knew her too well not to hear it. She pressed her forehead against the door and rested one of her hands along the wood of it. 

“State your business.” Less sure, now. Less steady. 

“Liadrin.” 

There was no sound from the other side of the door. Not even breathing. 

“I’m home.”

  
"Home"  
Phillip Phillips

Hold on to me as we go  
As we roll down this unfamiliar road  
And although this wave, wave is stringing us along

Just know you're not alone  
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear  
Don't pay no mind to the demons  
They fill you with fear  
The trouble—it might drag you down  
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone  
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear  
Don't pay no mind to the demons  
They fill you with fear  
The trouble—it might drag you down  
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone  
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home


	5. Wildfire

Things had been going as good as could be expected. Valeera had her bad days...so did Liadrin. Days where neither of them knew what to do with this new life they were building for themselves. It had gotten easier, though, when Valeera started fulfilling contracts again. It gave her time away...time to reset. And...time to miss her. She’d come to recognize that that’s what this feeling was. The feeling nestled heavily in her chest as she opened their door quietly and peered into the darkness of the room until her eyes adjusted and settled upon the woman sleeping in their bed.

She was quiet, for once, as she undressed. Normally - she might have wanted to wake Liadrin. Might have been craving her attention. Tonight, though, she just wanted to curl up in bed with her. She’d been gone for days. She missed her warmth. Her gentleness...and her roughness. But that could wait. 

As disorganized as Valeera could be in some aspects of her life - this was not one of them. She arranged her daggers carefully along the surface of the dresser near the door. They were already clean. Meticulously so. Each hidden blade and vial was slipped from its corresponding pocket until she could safely remove her scant armor. That done, she padded silently across the floor towards the bed. Towards Liadrin. 

The faint shift in weight against the mattress caused the older woman to stir and bring about a still unfamiliar warmth inside her. Especially when she reached out for her in the darkness without even really waking. 

“Hey.” Valeera whispered as she found herself folded comfortably in the Paladin’s arms. “I missed you.” 

Liadrin murmured something unintelligible in her half-asleep state, but once the words truly processed, her eyes snapped open suddenly. “What?” She asked quietly - lifting a hand to rub her eyes as Valeera smirked and leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose - taking advantage of her moment of confusion. 

“I said I missed you. Did you somehow damage your hearing while I was away?” 

Liadrin realized, then, that Valeera was naked as the younger woman pressed closer to her and tugged gently at the front of her shirt. “No. You just haven’t ever said that before.” Liadrin breathed as she rested her head back down against the pillow and immediately responded to the kisses Valeera began brushing against her lips. 

Valeera stole Liadrin’s breath more quickly this time than usual. Before long, Liadrin had as little clothing on as Valeera. She hadn’t even had a chance to wake up fully by the time she was pressing the younger woman onto her back beneath her. “I missed you, too.” Liadrin whispered against Valeera’s throat before she scraped her teeth along it in a way she knew would make Valeera shudder. “I love you.” She panted out against it when one of Valeera’s knees pressed between her thighs. Without thinking. Without considering what would happen if she let those words escape. 

They both froze for a moment, Liadrin’s breath hitching against Valeera’s neck and her eyes shutting tightly as if she could somehow undo this if she couldn’t see. Until Valeera’s hand stroked up the back of her neck and cradled the back of her head. “Sometimes I think I feel that way. I think I feel the way that you do. Every bit of it. Other times...I don’t know if I do, because I don’t know what it means. But I don’t want you to stop.”

Liadrin exhaled shakily as she brushed her lips slowly up Valeera’s throat and pressed a kiss against her jaw. “Let me show you.” She whispered, gradually removing herself from Valeera’s leg and settling between them instead. “Let me show you what it means.” 

An almost inaudible ‘Okay’ was Valeera’s only response. It seemed almost trepidatious. But...there was a longing behind it. A longing Liadrin couldn’t have ignored if she’d tried. 

She had taken her time with Valeera in the past, certainly. But never like this. Never before had she traced what felt like every inch of Valeera’s body with a combination of her lips and her fingertips. There was something about the tenderness of it that made it difficult for Valeera to stay still for her. So, she gripped the sheets instead of Liadrin’s hair as she felt warmth breaths against her navel and a kiss just beneath it. At the same time, the Paladin’s combat-roughened hands caressed up along the silkiness of her inner thighs, spreading them further and further until Valeera drew her legs up at the knees and dug her heels into the bed. 

Infuriatingly, she moved no lower. Instead, she lifted herself back up Valeera’s body and looked down into her eyes. As badly as she would have liked to taste her - as wet as she knew Valeera must have been...she wanted to see her, more. As she circled one of her nipples with her fingertips, she was able to watch the way Valeera’s lips parted even as she felt her squirm slightly beneath her. There was something to be said for surrendering control. Even at Liadrin’s roughest - it was really Valeera who led their sexual encounters. Valeera who goaded her on and growled demands into her ear or left streaks of read across her shoulders. 

There was vulnerability, here. Rawness unlike anything Valeera had ever experienced. It was present in the soft golden glow of Liadrin’s eyes as she lowered her head and traced the curve of the underside of her breast with the bridge of her nose. Present in the slow parting of her lips against Valeera’s nipple and the faint shimmer of her wet tongue before it circled already hardened, sensitive flesh. And not once did Liadrin’s eyes leave hers. The sight of the myriad of emotions passing over Valeera’s features was too strong of a pull to ignore. 

“Liadrin…” Breathless. Low. 

“Wait.” Firm. ...And gentle. Soft yet unignorable. 

She waited. She waited as Liadrin trailed her fingertips from her breast down her body and lifted her head at the same time. Liadrin found every curve of both muscle and of softness. Tracing lines neither of them could see but both of them could feel. And when Liadrin claimed her lips they both exhaled sharply. It was somehow both slow and bruising at the same time. Both hungry and satiating. Like Liadrin was trying to devour her...to devour the moment they were sharing, as slowly as she could. 

The kiss was so distracting she’d scarcely noticed where Liadrin’s hand had moved until she felt her knuckles graze down between her legs - touching against slickness they both knew would be there. 

Valeera often craved penetration with her lover. Craved the feeling of being filled rough and deep and almost mercilessly. So, when Liadrin began to slide a single finger into her after teasing at her entrance for a while, she expected to need more. In fact, the request died on her lips when she felt Liadrin sink the digit in in its entirety until the heel of her palm was pressed warmly against her clit. 

Valeera broke the kiss and released the sheets to grasp at Liadrin’s shoulders. Her thighs twitched and trembled as the Paladin seemed content just to be within her - completely still. Enjoying the feeling of her body tightening around her. 

“More?” Liadrin whispered breathlessly against her cheek before allowing her teeth to shut against it - though she trapped no skin between them. 

A breathy whimper escaped Valeera as she nodded, wrapping her thighs around Liadrin’s waist tightly. “Mm-mm. Spread your legs. Keep them spread.” She softened the order with a kiss to the corner of Valeera’s mouth. “Just lay there for me, pretty. Can you do that?” 

Neither of them was entirely sure whether or not she could. Yet, Valeera found herself nodding faintly, anyway. 

Liadrin dipped her head and kissed the center of her chest twice, interspersed with a quiet ‘good’ against flushed skin as she felt Valeera lower her thighs back against the bed. 

When she finally began moving her finger - another joined it before she’d even pressed the first all the way back in. Her movements were slow...filling, and deep in a way that was almost all-consuming. 

It was easier than Valeera had expected it to be to let go, and almost as soon as she did - Liadrin moved her second hand to join the first and began rubbing feather-light circles against her clit. The motions, while different, matched perfectly in a way that, once again, left Valeera shifting and writhing, though it was subdued. As were her moans - soft, quiet, breathy things that only drew appreciative glances from Liadrin now and again.  
“I wish that you could see yourself, Valeera.” 

Tiny slits of green - so small, Liadrin wondered if Valeera could really even see her. There was no response - witty, or otherwise. Just the heaving of her chest now and again as she gasped sharply - an action that became more and more frequent, though Liadrin never gave her more than what she already had been. 

When Liadrin felt Valeera’s movements become more stilted and less controlled, she rested more of her weight down against her. 

“Liadrin...don’t stop...don’t you dare stop.” Her fingertips dug into Liadrin’s back, holding her close as she relished the feeling of her weight against her. 

Liadrin didn’t stop. Nor did she slow her movements or speed them up. She drew Valeera to her orgasm in a way that left her gasping and shaking weakly beneath her. She rode Valeera’s waves of pleasure with her - paying acute attention to the tightening around her fingers until it began to ebb. She slipped them out and moved one of her hands up to slide beneath the back of Valeera’s head, pulling it up into her shoulder as she continued rubbing her clit even when her hips began to jerk. 

Valeera arched from the bed so powerfully, then, that she almost pushed Liadrin off of her - only to hear a soothing murmur being pressed against her temple along with the warmth of the older woman’s lips. “Relax. Ease into it with me.” 

‘Easier said than done’ came to mind, for a moment. Just for a little while. Until she _did_ ease into it. Liadrin had even slowed her breathing to something less frantic - which might have impressed Valeera were she more aware, right then. As it was, all she could do was gasp into the crook of Liadrin’s neck - already darkened with the few bruises of teeth she’d unintentionally left there. Liadrin didn’t mind, for once. She wanted those marks. She wanted Valeera to see them in the morning...and she wanted to see them, too. 

Valeera came again rather quickly, only this time - she allowed her fingernails to bite into Liadrin’s back, though she didn’t draw them along her skin. Her choked cry was muffled in the crook of Liadrin’s neck, and, finally, Liadrin stopped. She reached for both of Valeera’s thighs as she lay down against her, stroking and kneading them and allowing her breaths to come as frantically as they wished now before she began to attempt to catch them. 

To Liadrin’s surprise, it was Valeera that spoke first, though her words were muddled and slightly raspy. 

“Let me touch you. Please, Liadrin. God, I need to touch you.” 

It was true. She needed it more than she needed the air that her lungs were still desperately burning for. 

And, so, Liadrin lifted herself onto shaking arms and moved them both until she was straddling Valeera’s lap and the younger woman’s back was against the headboard. At the gentle prodding of her hands against her thighs, she managed to lift herself to her knees and place her hands against the wall above Valeera’s head, her own head hung so low her chin was against her chest as her hair veiled her eyes - which were still trained, even half-open, on Valeera. 

She nearly lost her balance when Valeera suddenly lowered herself flat onto the bed and propped herself on her elbows in order to reach her. And reach her, she did. She nothing short of buried her face against her - sliding her tongue through accumulated wetness and sucking in hard, rhythmic waves against her clit as Liadrin reached for her head to hold her close. 

She came too quickly...for both of them. And slumped over Valeera as simply holding herself away from her face took what little energy she had left. 

“I wasn’t done.” Valeera whispered, turning her head to kiss Liadrin’s inner thigh as the older woman shook her head. 

“I...I’m fine, Valeera, you...don’t have to…” 

Apparently, Valeera disagreed. She found herself on her back before she could even formulate further protests and Valeera half-dragged her into another orgasm, spreading her with her fingers as her hand moved so firmly the bed shook faintly beneath them. 

It was Liadrin’s turn to let go. To tear her expensive sheets in her hand as she tried and failed to contain herself. To cry out for Valeera in a way the younger woman wasn’t entirely sure she’d heard before. 

They were both exhausted when they finally laid side-by-side in an effort to cool off. Liadrin lazily drew one of her legs up only for it to flop over against Valeera’s hips - drawing a low, amused chuckle from the younger woman as she rested a hand against her knee. “Mighty Blood Knight, vanquished by an orgasm.” 

“Two.” She whispered, turning her head lazily so she could look for the smirk she could already hear in Valeera’s voice. It was there, of course. A gentle tilt of the corner of her mouth as she peered over at her. “It was two, thank you.”

“No, thank _you._ ” Valeera murmured warmly in response as she kneaded Liadrin’s thigh when she felt it still tensing faintly now and then. “Thank you for showing me.” 

“Showing you what?” Liadrin asked - her brow furrowed as she tried to clear the haze that her thoughts had become. 

“Showing me what it feels like to be loved instead of fucked.” There was a sudden seriousness in Valeera’s tone that caught Liadrin off-guard. “For showing me that every time...and for never not trying to. Even though it took me so long to see.” 

Liadrin didn’t quite know what to say in response. Nothing, really, could have prepared her for this. For hearing these words come from Valeera, of all people. Though, there was no one else she’d rather have heard them coming from. No one in the world. 

“It isn’t something you need to thank me for.” She finally murmured, reaching up to touch along Valeera’s still-flushed cheek with the back of her hand. “It isn’t something I could change, even if I wanted to. And I’ll never want to.”

“Mm, that’s fine, I suppose. Just so long as you don’t expect to see me in here barefoot doing your dishes with a child gnawing on my ear.” 

Liadrin couldn’t help the tired bout of laughter that erupted from her at the mere thought of such a thing. “By the Light, Valeera...please. It’s too late for this.” 

“Is it?” Valeera asked rather nonchalantly. “You usually love talks of commitment and forever-afters. I’m merely informing you that being vomited upon and chewed isn’t something that appeals to me.” 

Liadrin couldn’t breathe, now, for an entirely different reason. Valeera lifted a brow in her direction - her face showing no signs of anything but seriousness. That only served to make it worse. It was a long time before Liadrin managed to compose herself. And, by then, Valeera had tired of her game and moved to curl against her side with her head on her chest. 

“I wouldn’t dream of clipping your wings in such a way, Valeera.” She finally reassured quietly as she reached to caress the underside of one of her ears. “Much less allow anyone but myself to do anything untoward to your lovely ears.” 

Valeera smiled and let her eyes slip shut. “Mmm...you can bite them all you want, you know.” 

“Oh, I know. I rather enjoy the look on your face when I do.” 

“I do trust you, you know.” Valeera whispered even as she began to drift off. “With my life. With...all of it. And it terrifies me.” 

“That’s alright.” Liadrin moved so that she was laying more comfortably, allowing Valeera to move with her so that she never really had to get un-nestled. “It’s alright to be scared. I’ll be here, anyway. Until you aren’t. And every day after that.” 

Valeera nodded. She knew. Even if she couldn’t say it, yet...she knew. 

And, even if she couldn’t say it, yet...she loved her.

"Wildfire"  
Seafret

You think you know all about it then it seems you are wrong,  
She hit it out of the park before it'd even begun,  
I needed sunshine in the darkness burning out,  
Well now I know that I'm the fuel and she's the spark.

We are bound to each other's hearts,  
Cold, torn, and pulled apart  
This love, is like wildfire,  
And to my word now I'll be true,  
I can't stop this breaking loose  
This love, is like wildfire,  
Like wildfire.

These feelings arranged deep down inside,  
Try describing a love you can't design,  
More and more, every inch of me is holding on,  
This is it all the flames are burning strong.

We are bound to each other's hearts,  
Cold, torn and pulled apart  
This love, is like wildfire,  
And to my word now I'll be true,  
I can't stop this breaking loose  
This love, is like wildfire,  
Like wildfire,  
Like wildfire.

You think you know all about it then it seems you are wrong,  
She hit it out of the park before it'd even begun.


End file.
